Taliban face heat from International community for not opening schools for girls

Picture source - AP via hrw.org

International organizations and diplomats have asked the Taliban to reopen the schools of all girls in Afghanistan.

Wednesday was the first day of the school year in the country, but unfortunately, despite the announcements of the Ministry of Education, girls over grade six were made to return to their homes and were not allowed to attend the class.

According to state media of Afghanistan, the officials of the Islamic Emirate said that schools for both boys and girls were opened from Wednesday, but only in Herat all the girls were allowed to attend school.

Moreover, some girls were sent home after spending several hours in the school and were told to wait until the next notice. Many girls came out on the roads and protested against this decision.

A video of a young student crying while giving an interview to a local correspondent went viral.

The events resulted in a harsh reaction from the International community as representatives of international bodies and diplomats asked the Taliban to not stop girls from their basic rights.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said that this announcement was deplorable. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), while issuing an official statement, said that this decision was casting a dark shadow on this school year.

The Secretary-General for NRC, Jan Egeland, said that this announcement was deeply concerning and “we just hope that it will be reversed”. He also said that the Taliban had given their assurance earlier on, on the education of all children.

Egeland added that by barring the girls from getting an education, their future was being destroyed.

US Special Envoy for Afghan Girls, Women and Human Rights Rina Amiri said that the reports of stopping girls above grade six from attending school were weakening the confidence in the leadership of the Taliban.

The US Chargé d’Affaires for Afghanistan Ian McCary said that this was very disappointing news and it was a direct contradiction of the Taliban’s earlier commitments.

Germany’s ambassador-designate to Afghanistan, Markus Potzel, said that this was a blow for every girl who wanted to get education and make a career for herself.

Amnesty International also reacted to this development and said that getting education was the fundamental right of every human and the Taliban had the duty to fulfil this.

Human Rights Watch also raised concerns about the girls beyond grade six being prevented from entering their schools.

Issuing a statement, Aziz Ahmad Reyan, spokesman of the Ministry of Education, said that for now, girls’ schools beyond grade six would remain closed. The leadership of the Islamic Emirate would make a final decision on this, he said.